


Forever Drifting

by Oaklin



Series: Forever Everything [76]
Category: Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX, Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: (as usual), (he's just pissed in general and taking it out on everybody), (more like), (though Kevin doesn't really care enough to be rude about that), Beige Prose, But I couldn't remember if you use the given name or the family name, I was trying to make Spanky use the honorifics wrong, Insecurity, Kayfabe Compliant, Longing, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Pining, Purple Prose, So that is probably wrong (right?), Swearing, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, obligatory Kevin Steen warning, vague rudeness towards japanese culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-02-26 11:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13234857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oaklin/pseuds/Oaklin
Summary: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.





	Forever Drifting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello!
> 
> Kevin was not exactly cooperating here, but I think I managed to get something readable out of him. I did edit this at three in the morning though, so how readable this is is highly debatable. No Sami in this one, except for in the ethereal, metaphorical ways that Kevin brings him up, and the fact that at this point in the series basically every thing Kevin does or says is tied to Sami in some way.
> 
> Hope you like it!

The crowd claps politely as Kevin stalks to the back, huffing out a forceful breath as he passes under the doorway and back into to gorilla.

Kevin snatches at his wrist tape, picking at the end as he walks away from the near-silent attendees, still poised and quietly watching the show from the safety of their folding chairs. Kevin bites down on the frustrated swearing that wants to bubbe from his mouth, their tepid acknowledgement setting his teeth on edge.

Sasaki is already gone, no doubt lugged away by one of the other wrestlers milling around. There are plenty of them wandering around, barely looking at him as he passes, preoccupied with their pre-match rituals in the small space afforded by the venue. He ignores them, merely observing their fidgeting out of the corner of his eye as they wait for their turn to disappoint. Kevin finally gets the tip of his thumbnail under an edge, ripping the tape from his wrists with a fury that is more than a little satisfying.

Which would be alarming if he gave a shit. It's not like anyone-

“You did good, kid.”

Kevin contemplates walking on, disregarding the voice to his left. It would be best, probably, as even Kevin is aware that he would not be ideal company right now.

(not like I’m in the fucking mood, anyway…)

_-grumpy-_

(piss-poor match, piss-poor opponent-)

Why did he come all the way over to this blasted rock?

“Fuck off Corino. No one gives a shit what you think about anything.”

(there)

(that should-)

“Oh come on, Kev. There is not a single person who has ever met you that would believe that horseshit. You need validation like Spanks needs pocky,” Corino says with a smug grin, his sharp teeth glinting in the blinding lighting, the white walls of Korakuen Hall making gorilla an eyestrain to stand in. Kevin rolls his eyes as Corino smiles at his own little joke, biting into the apple in his right hand like the asshole that he is. Kevin just throws his tape to the floor, leaving it there for someone else to clean up, before casting a glance over to Spanky, who looks up on cue, the thin sticks of candy poking out of his mouth and a guilty look on his face.

Kevin glances at Spanky’s tag team partner for the night, but Saki seems too preoccupied to scold her dumb teammate. Kevin watches her attempt to scale the scaffolding along the wall for a moment, curious if she can make it up without breaking her neck.

_-maybe get her down?-_

(her neck)

(she wants to get herself killed it’s her problem)

Shaking himself, he resolves to stop getting caught up in all the Hilarious Shenanigans. He really just wants to go back to his tiny hotel room and have a nap in the almost deathly silence of this weird fucking place.

_-only time the silence is nice-_

(still weird)

“Fuckin’ nerd,” Kevin snaps at Spanky, clapping the idiot hard on the back, watching the fool choke on the sweets in his mouth.

The dude with the blond fish-tail hair perks up, looking up from his phone to grin knowingly at Spanky, like he is in on some joke that Kevin is not privy to.

“Otaku,” the assholes says, his accent making the word sound way different than Kevin expects, to the point where he briefly wonders if he has been pronouncing that word wrong all these years.

“Fujita-san!” Spanky whines, still grimacing as he shoves his shoulders harshly into Kevin, glaring as he tries to breath.

Kevin shoves Spanky back down into his little folding chair, smiling in triumph as he almost knocks the pocky out of the stupid fuckers’ hands.

“Enough with the gratuitous Japanese, you idiot. You do have a point though. I don’t think otaku is an exact equivalent. Pretty sure you’re more of a weeb.”

He wasn't aiming for it, but that gets a laugh from the blond-

_-quit rolling your eyes-_

_-rude-_

Whatever.

 _-Fujita-san,_ which startles Kevin, though he manages to shrug it off before anyone notices.

“Great. As fun as this is -and it isn't, at all- I’ve got a matchbox bed and a bidet waiting on me back at the old roach motel, so fuck all of you and I hope that every single one of you break your faces on the apron.”

For some reason, there is a little voice in that back of his mind, blinking in and out of his consciousness like a light in the distance, whispering soft admonishments for being so goddamn rude to everyone.

Kevin ignores the voice as best he can, though it is difficult when the melody of the murmurs sounds so much like-

“Aw, come on Kev. Don’t be like that. These crowds are different than you are used to, don’t take it personally. You won the damn match, stop being so glum,” Corino says, chewing obnoxiously on his mouthful of apple, talking through the fruit like the uncivilised motherfucker that he is.

Kevin rolls his shoulders, biting down on some really ill-advised retorts, a restless longing roiling through him that seems to a rendered him irrationally angry for the time being. Or, well, the whole evening, but whatever. Not like anyone was used to him being chipper and sunshiny-

(fuck)

_-just-_

(nope)

_-can’t we just-_

(no)

(shut up)

Kevin refused to let the thought fully form, turning away from the little burst of light, shoving down the tiny bubble of **_ache_**  that stings there at the back of his eyeballs. Now is not the time or the place for **That.**

_-always-_

No.

Kevin deliberately ignores the way the room seems to have lost about ten degrees of temperature just in the time that he has been standing here gawking like a heartsick fool.

Wait.

(for fucks’ sake)

_-freudian slip there, buddy-_

Not

Shit

“Man, you really miss home, huh? Didn’t peg you as a settled type, kiddo-”

(asking for it)

_-easy there-_

_-japan tours are a bitch to get-_

(...doesn’t mean I can’t beat his ass)

_-...kinda does, actually-_

_-plus **he** might be upset...-_

So?

Who cares what **_he_ ** thinks?

- _ **you** do-_

No.

Maybe.

But no.

(wouldn’t _matter_ anyway)

“Go fuck yourself with a rusty garden rake, Corino. I don’t have the patience for your mealy-mouthed bullshit right now.”

Kevin begins to stalk away, huffing angrily as he goes, desperately trying to shake the chill from his numbing fingers.

Kevin's own body halts him right in front of the door that would lead him to freedom, his traitorous feet turning him halfway around before he can stop himself, not managing to escape the room before the words pool in the back of his throat. They threaten to choke the life from his lungs, so he speaks them out loud before they burn him alive.

“...do you know, by any chance, if there is a payphone around this dump?"

**Author's Note:**

> ...does anyone even remember that Kevin broke his phone way the fuck back in Forever Fading? Yes, this fic has indeed been sitting around since then. I told you I write a lot.
> 
> If anyone is scratching their heads at Kevin's irritation, the parts of his anger that are not directed at himself and Sami, are because he is somewhere new, in a wrestling culture that is unfamiliar to him. Japanese wrestling fans are _very_ different than American or even Canadian fans. A dumbass curly blond canadian (who is probably never going to show up in this series) once put it best, remarking that Japanese crowds are 'kind' and American crowds are 'wild'. That about sums it up (we don't talk about that one Vader/Inoki match), and like with most things that he cannot punch better, bby!Steen does not deal well with the audiences perceived indifference.
> 
> Anywhoo, hope you liked it and have a good week!


End file.
